Make It Go Away
by YuRi Shipper
Summary: Ayane's devious plan causes a fight, and Hitomi's still out of it... AU [Shoujoai Warning] Rating to go up in later chapters.
1. Prologue

YuRi Shipper: Alright, alright. I know I promised Yuna/Rikku first… but I decided on a DoA fic first. Okay? Alright? Good.

Mr. Disclaimer: She owns nothing but the plot. Because YuRi Shipper sucks. ish knocked over the head with a frying pan

Warnings: Mentions of rape, drug use, use of alcohol and sex. This story is shoujo-ai/femmeslash/yuri based, so please, no flaming on the topic. Completely AU. If you're alright with all the aforementioned, please continue.

Broken

"_Please stop, Daddy…" Tears rolled down the thirteen year old's red face as pain coursed through her body. The large man merely grunted a response, his spiky blonde hair blurring in front of the girl's eyes, as she went numb, slipping into a place of disbelief, hurt, betrayal and pain. _

_ Earlier, at her mother's funeral, the little brunette had stood, completely sombre. Only she knew the truth – her father had beaten the woman to her death. There had been no accident… only Daddy, in all his glory._

_ And now here he was, stealing his own daughter's innocence._

_ "Please stop, Daddy, please…"_

Five years later…

A car horn honked, the modern-day streets of Japan outside the eighteen year old's apartment window causing quite a fuss and ruckus. The smell of alcohol still hung heavily in the air, and its source was obvious. There lay the little girl from five years ago, though she was not so little anymore. Her mahogany locks were mussed, sticking out in all directions about her. The usually bright eyes of a bluish grey were closed as she lay in a drunken slumber, her mouth open slightly.

The door made a clicking sound, being pushed open with several agonizing squeaks. A pair of soft, brown leather boots blocked its path, though the person doing the door-opening squeezed inside anyway. A pale hand reached out, clicking on the lights while amber eyes scanned the immediate area, nose scrunching. Immediately, the twenty year old's orbs fell upon what had to be the most empty bottles of beer in one place that she'd ever seen before, lying across the floor of her friend. "Hitomi?"

A small groan was all that answered her, and the red-haired girl walked into the living room area, hands on her hips, attempting to look stern as her friend woke up. One look at the hell she was going through, however, and Kasumi couldn't keep the face, her expression softening as she knelt beside the smaller girl.

"Come on… let's get you to the bathroom before you're fully awake." Her voice was soft, almost musical. Of course, Hitomi was seeing none of that… she was barely seeing anything.

"Hmmm?"

She had been pulled to her feet, one arm about her waist to keep her stable as the brunette's best friend led her to a most-visited area of the tiny apartment – the washroom. Really, it wasn't fit to hold two people, with its tiny interior, but Kasumi didn't care… or, if she did, the woman pretended not to, one hand moving forwards to hold those locks of brown hair she loved so much out of the younger girl's face, the other hand rubbing across the other's back to soothe her.

As if on cue, Hitomi leaned forward and lost all substances she might've had in her stomach with a horrid retching sound. The redhead sighed, continuing her duties until the other had gotten sick three times, and seemed to be slowing down.

"You got drunk again, didn't you?" Well, it was asking for the obvious, but she figured she may as well try… and at least the girl with eye of blue was honest, nodding her head slowly as she cleaned herself up a little by the sink, taking care of her face and hands mainly. "Yes…"

"'Tomi-Ta, I really think… I think you should stop this. You need to." If only it was that easy. She'd started after the sexual abuse began, to ease her pain. Of course, at the young of sixteen, she'd moved away, or rather, ran away from home… three years of pure hell, pure torture, until she'd been able to break free… and come here, to her mother's homeland.

It was there she had met Kasumi, her future friend. Of course, at the time, she hadn't known that. She'd just been herself – minus the effects of the beatings, of the memories…

"Here." The redhead was speaking to her once more, placing a bottle in her hands. Tylenol…

With a weak smile, Hitomi allowed herself to take a couple pills, to rid herself of that pounding headache.

Stomach performing a flip-flop, the girl sat down, groaning. Was anything worth this grief? A sudden touch on her shoulders turned into warm embrace, breath on her neck as she felt her friend hug her from behind. "I just don't understand why you do it to yourself, Hitomi-chan…"

"Gomen nasai." Of course, she could not explain… no one knew. And, if she had her way about it, no one would.

YuRi Shipper: No, it's not long. What did you expect? It's a prologue, for Christ's sake people. -.- Well, R&R… also, I need pairing suggestions. XD I've got ideas… I was thinking either KasumixHitomi or LeiFangxHitomi… anywho, tell me your ideas, opinions, give me criticism… and remember, it's all AU. I'll try and update soon. Ja mata ne.


	2. Chapter One

YuRi Shipper: And I'm back already. Amazing. All of you should bow before my greatness. reads over her last chapter and shudders So short… so many typos… it sucks. -.- I promise this one'll be better… really…

Mr. Disclaimer: I've been revived simply to tell you that YuRi Shipper still owns nothing.

A Letter

"Damn it!" A trash can was kicked as the violet-haired nineteen year old crossed her floor, mail in hand. "Stupid thing…" Amber eyes burned with hatred as she glared at the thing that had been an obstacle only mere moments ago. "That'll teach you to get in my way… now, let's see… bills, bills, bills, junk, crap, shit… eh? What's this?" She had stopped tossing the envelopes on the table to stare at the last, one addressed to her real name instead of the alias she went under. "Who the hell…?" Curiosity made the pale girl sit down and carefully open the fancy letter, unfolding the carefully typed message once it was out of its envelope.

_Dear Ayane,_

_ We are very pleased to inform you that you have been chosen for a special event taking place in your very own __Japan__. While we are not permitted to tell you why or what this occasion is, DOATEC formally invites you to come. There will be others from around the globe attending – remember, we only chose the best of the best._

_ Should you be interested, you may stop by our building tomorrow, Tuesday, November 16th. We pray to see you there. _

_ Sincerely, Donovan DOATEC Supervisor_

"Well that's a load of shit." The girl dressed in a black dress snorted, placing the letter on the table. 'But how did they know when it would reach my house? Or my name, for that matter?' Questions that needed answering… maybe going to check this out wouldn't be such a bad idea afterall.

A smile was now placed on her face easily, as the girl wore her pink headband, heading over to a table. This job… how she hated it! The place was basically the Japanese equivalent of 'Hooters'. Men that came in, gave your body a good look-at, sometimes touched you in places you really didn't want to be touched, ordered their food, then left. Some asked for dates, though most of the women working there would turn them down without a second thought.

Hitomi was no exception.

She was, currently, dealing with a pair of particularly rude men, their roving eyes and hands not appreciated, but tolerated. "What would you like this morning, gentlemen?" Her German lilt was not particularly strong, thank heavens.

"I don't know… you look pretty appetizing." Both sniggered as this was said, as if it were the best joke in the world. It would be a long day of work for the brunette. Very, very long…

She returned to her apartment wearily, short skirt and tight, white top making the chilly November night even colder. Thankfully, her apartment was warm, and the smell of hot cocoa hung in the air. Inhaling deeply, she noted that the empty bottles were gone, and there was something else being cooked in the kitchen that she couldn't quite place her finger on.

"Home already?" Kasumi raised an eyebrow, giving her scantily clad friend a warm look. "There's clothing laid out on your bed and a drink for you on the table. Supper still isn't ready." Hitomi gave the redhead a smile, heading for her room.

"Thank you, okaa-san."

It was just a little joke between the pair – Kasumi took care of Hitomi, and was teased by the eighteen year old for it. After all – if she didn't take care of the somewhat childish girl, who would?

Once changed into rather comfortable flannel pants and a loose fitting t-shirt, Hitomi re-joined her friend, watching the girl cook and sipping her drink. Neither talked about their day, knowing exactly how the other's had been – Kasumi's boring, and Hitomi's repulsing.

"You've got mail, you know." That caused her interest to spark, the girl lifting an eyebrow curiously. "It's on the table, 'Tomi." With a nod, the brunette turned about, finding the rather fancy-looking letter addressed to her… and another, almost identical to it, addressed to her friend. "What are they about?"

"I don't know." Kasumi shrugged, tucking her red hair behind an ear absentmindedly. "I didn't read it yet… you want to go ahead and tell me what it's about?"

With that, Hitomi began to read both letters, raising an eyebrow.

"You feel like paying DOATEC a visit?" She mumbled after showing both letters to her friend. Kasumi looked contemplative, though it was only for a moment. "Why not?"

YuRi Shipper: Mwahahaha. Short and sweet… though it's beginning to look very much like a KasumixHitomi fic. But yes, I do indeed realize how short I made this story… and I'm sorry about that. I'll make future chapters longer – this was just because I felt between this one and the first, I should have an okay-sized story. XD That is, if you count is all as one chapter. R&R, as always – reviews feed my creative fire.


	3. Chapter Two

YuRi Shipper: -growls- My damned asterisks did not appear in previous chapters – I apologize. This means that sudden scene changes occurred without them. My apologies, my apologies… please, don't hurt me for it. XD

To my reviewers and readers, I thank you. Yes, I was indeed aiming for 'disturbing', and no, this is not written from personal experience. (At least, not the part with Hitomi's father raping her and beating her mother to death.) Enjoy this chapter – it promises to be my longest yet.

Mr. Disclaimer: All bow before her holy un-owning-ness. –is killed brutally-

Special Thanks go to Ko-Chan. You've given me ideas and an excellent review – thanks a bunch. -

One of Those Situations

Her day had been the usual – go to work, get eyed by Kami knows how many perverts, then head home as early as she could. The letter was fresh in the brunette's mind as she crossed the street, walking through the chill to her little apartment. Kasumi said she would meet her at DOATEC, so at least Hitomi wasn't alone in this.

One has never seen someone change and eat so hurriedly as she did, racing out the door with more energy than anyone could possibly have. The girl had even neglected to take her car, choosing to run instead. Obviously she had forgotten just how far away DOATEC was, because as she arrived the girl panted and sweat, bending to catch her breath as her redheaded friend cocked a curious eyebrow, sighing.

"You did it again, didn't you?"

Hitomi merely nodded, as no explanation was needed – they knew each other well enough. Or at least, so they thought… Kasumi harboured secrets as did the younger girl. Neither had felt at liberty to share these secrets with the other. Or was it that neither woman felt safe enough to share them? Whatever the case, both said nothing of their pains.

"You're ten minutes early… that's a change." Her soft voice was accompanied by a giggle as Hitomi gave her an accusing look, the grey-blue eyes narrowed and a pout on her pale features. "That's not fair! I've been early plenty of times before…" Childish… but that's what everybody loved about her in this town. She got her job by being playful during the interview. Unfortunately, she had to dress like some form of whore, but that was alright. She hadn't been touched that way since she was sixteen…

_ "You're Daddy's little girl. Remember that." His voice was gruff and deep as he left the room that night. No, he never stayed, lest someone arrive during the night and find him with his daughter – that wouldn't go over well._

_ The girl, shivering and entirely nude, nodded, waiting until the door was closed before silently standing, slipping on clothing and grabbing a heavily packed bag from under her bed. This was it – she was escaping her hell._

"Hitomi? Hitomi?" Worry had returned to the older woman's voice as she gently placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, watching as the girl she'd known for over two year snapped back to reality, smiling at her friend.

"Ladies?" A man in black had appeared at DOATEC's doors, letting them inside. "Wait here."  
That they could do with no problem. Both stared in absolute awe, unblinking. The main lobby was large, with red carpet floors and white walls, paintings in frames of gold decorating the walls. Surely this was no company building? It must have been some form of mansion or something like that... in any case, they were where they were supposed to be. And still early to boot.

Time passed, and the pair couldn't help but notice as a pair of loud, laughing women entered as well. One was a rather busty blonde, her Texas drawl something rarely heard in Japan, causing both to tilt their heads curiously. The giggling woman beside her had dark skin, hair, eyes, dark everything. She seemed sweet, though neither had truly noticed either of the room's other occupants yet.

The blonde spotted them first, giving a toothy grin as she walked towards them, hips swaying. "Y'all here because you got some letters, too?" Hitomi smiled back, giving an enthusiastic nod as Kasumi barely gave any answer at all. "Well glory be! That's why me an' Lisa are here, too. Lisa, come 'n' see these two!" She motioned for her partner, obviously this 'Lisa' she'd been talking about, to come over as well.

"Hi." She waved, though it wasn't entirely necessary, considering she was standing right in front of the pair. "I'm Lisa."

"An' I would be Tina Armstrong – it's a pleasure to meet y'all." Her hand was extended, that smile still there. Was it Kasumi's imagination, or was this woman deliberately sticking her chest in her younger friend's face? To save poor Hitomi, she shook the hand first, smiling weakly – in all honesty, she felt no reason to greet her.

"I'm Hitomi." It figured the brunette would say that with such… gusto. A hand encased in a red finger-glove shook Lisa's hand first, then Tina's, not noticing as the blonde winked a bright, blue eye in her direction, gaze roaming over each other girl's body.

Lisa pulled a hand through her short, dark brown locks of hair, eyes of the matching colour shining in the light. Her outfit was far more… conservative than her friend's. She had chosen a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, while Tina was wearing barely anything at all – an extremely short skirt and a tube top that she had hastily thrown a leather jacket over.

"Oh! Do we have the wrong building?" A French accented voice rang out, and all four women in the room turned to see two more females enter – did everybody come in twos? Still, the speaker was another blonde, a fair height and somewhat on the skinny side, her long tresses held back in a low ponytail which flowed neatly to her buttocks. Her bangs, however, were considerably shorter, let out of the ponytail and framing either side of her face, falling just past her chin. She held an air of elegance about her, which the other woman did not seem to have. No, on the contrary. The second woman was shifting nervously, brown eyes that were slanted in the oriental fashion gazing about the room. Locks of mahogany were formed into braids and held in loops on either side of her head. Her breath was held as her eyes landed on what appeared to be the youngest girl in the room, standing beside the redheaded woman.

"If you're here about a letter, than I'd assume you're both in the right place." Lisa nodded, placing a hand on one hip, smiling.

Before any introductions could be made, yet another woman entered, this one with layered hair, all a snowy white colour, making her stand out. Her height helped too, as she seemed quite a bit taller than most of the others, though her bust rivalled that of Tina's, who was currently giving her a most approving look, tongue running over her lips once.

"You!" The French woman spoke again, looking at the albino accusingly, causing the tall woman with violet eyes to turn, glaring at the blonde. "I'm not exactly thrilled to see you, either, Helena." Her accent was not the most pronounced, though it wasn't as subtle as Kasumi's, or Hitomi's. An English woman? My, they had people from all over the globe in one room! More specifically, females from all over the globe.

"So what the hell's going on?" The French blonde, obviously Helena, flinched at the very slight use of vulgarity, practically spitting venom as she responded. "We don't know yet, Christie, though I'm sure the waiting would be far faster if you would simply – "

"Ladies, ladies, please! You attention, please!" A deep voice boomed over the loudspeakers in the room, a chuckle accompanying the silence that followed. "Very good… so, you want to know what's going on? Well, there are no secrets in DOATEC… at least, none concerning this. I shall tell you as soon as our last guest arrives. In the meanwhile, make yourself at home. I think you'll find the couches are rather comfortable."

The speakers fell silent, and Tina was the first to do exactly what he suggested, lazily flopping down upon a couch. "Ah, that's better!" For a moment, everyone's eyes turned to her, before everything started up again. Tina and Lisa were talking, Helena and Christie fighting, the Chinese girl that had yet to say a single word remained staring at Hitomi, and the brunette was giving her redheaded friend a somewhat frightened look, which was returned by a smile of reassurance.

That was, until, the doors swung open once more, revealing the last guest.

"Damn, it's freezing outside." Those were her first words, but as she looked up, they died on her lips, Kasumi staring at the woman oddly.

"Ayane?"

(A/N: I _was_ going to leave it off here, but then I realized something – I promised a long chapter. XD This is… short, medium-length at best. So, for your sake, I continued.)

"Kasumi." A curt nod was given as she acknowledged the other's prescence, whirling about as a 'clang' sounded from behind her. Metal bars had fallen across the doors the purple-haired woman had just walked through, and amber eyes that matched Kasumi's gave a spiteful look. "I have a feeling we've just been suckered."

"Indeed, you have been. Welcome to my mansion, girls – I'm sure you'll have a good time. You don't really have much of a choice, seeing as how you're now stuck here." The voice stopped to chuckle darkly, as each woman glared at each speaker. "I am Donovan, as you may have guessed. You've all been chosen specially for a little… a little experiment."

"I'd love to chose you for a little experiment of my own – it's called hand-to-face therapy." Christie muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Don't think I didn't hear that comment, Christie – I have cameras and microphones hidden everywhere. You can't escape me – just like you cannot escape this place. It shall serve as your home, for now. How long, you may be asking? However long I choose. Now, on with what I was saying before.

Each of you were hand-picked by a team of experts spread across the globe. We found women of different races, cultures – I think we've covered most of the world. Japan, the United States of America, France, England, China… Germany…" He chuckled as he said the last bit, watching as Hitomi looked bewildered. "I know about each and every one of you – for example, Tina over there is a twenty-two year old who lives in Texas with her father, Bass Armstrong.

Have I proved to you yet that I'm not willing to just abandon this experiment? Maybe so, maybe not. Still, know that I am not.

Each of you will encounter… bits and pieces of your past. Of course, you'll be encountering it in front of everyone else here. That's right – Friday is viewing night. We've watched you for a very long time – we've even created technology that may have caused some of you 'nightmares' that trigger memories, which we recorded and verified as the truth. Every Friday, one of you will be chosen at random to have one memory seen – there are no secrets here." His deep-throated chuckle turned into insane laughter for a moment.

"Enjoy yourselves, girls – just remember, there's no way out." The grim message ended there, as each stunned woman turned to the other, some seemingly unfazed, others near tears.

"S'pose we should get to know each other a lil bit, then, if we're gonna have to see movies about one another on that viewscreen each Friday." The Texas Tina was the firs to speak up, smirking as leaned back on the couch. "Most of what I could say about myself was already told to y'all by him, so I guess we'll just go in the circle from now on, starting with Lisa." She nodded, to her friend, as everyone cautiously remarked that they were indeed in a circle, somehow. Had they unwittingly just moved into that shape? Or was this some sort of joke? Whatever the case, Lisa had started to talk.

"I'm Lisa, from the good ol' U.S. of A." A snort was heard, though no one could truly tell who had made the noise. Therefore, the dark-skinned woman turned to the brunette standing just a few paces away from her. "Want to introduce yourself now?"

"I'm Lei Fang… and I come from China." The others nodded, as one-by-one they went around, somehow landing in an odd sort of pattern – Tina, Lisa, Lei Fang, Helena, Christie, Ayane, Kasumi and, finally, Hitomi. "I'm from Germany." The others had deduced that simply by remembering the countries Donovan had listed – and, since no one before the petite girl had piped up and said they were from Germany, it was a mere matter of deduction to figure out who, exactly, the German was.

"Now that that's all done, what do y'all say to checking out our new home?"

"You've adjusted to this rather nicely." Ayane spoke, suspiciously, watching Tina shrug. "Well, you've gotta take whatever gets thrown your way, righ'? Well, I figure there's no reason to get all uncomfortable – may as well see where the rooms are, how many rooms there are, and where the grub's at." No objections were spoken this time. "Alright! Let's get a move on!"

YuRi Shipper: Had to end it sometime. Ugh, I know, I know – I didn't go into detail on some of the characters, yet. Don't worry, I will. R&R – the reviews fuel my creative flames.


	4. Chapter Three

YuRi Shipper: Ack! X-X This took me so long – I apologize. Hell, it's not even my favourite part of the plot. xD But I was grounded – what can I say? I'm a naughty girl.

Aaaaaanyway… hem. Some of you (Evil-sick-cow) have been wondering exactly who all the pairings will be – far be it from me to deny you such information - after all, I don't think it will ruin any bit of the story. So, here you are – a list of pairings.

Kasumi x Hitomi x Lei Fang (Triangle! Not threesome, you perverts. xD)  
Helena x Christie (Eheh… I'm an avid fan. ;;; )

Tina x Lisa

Tina x Lusting over everyone (In my mind, she's a slut. And that's the way I'm going to write about her.)

Ayane x Lusting for… A mystery. x3

And there will be some hints and occasional popping-ups of Donovan's workers – which will be counted as OC x OC romance, though the story is not centered about them.

Well, hope that answers any and all of you questions – now, onto what this is really about – the story.

Mrs. Disclaimer: You… you killed my husband! You fucking bitch! You don't even own any of this! Why I ought to - -shot in the head-

Bedrooms and Problems

The girls had had no problem finding the kitchen – it was large, with many a chef hard at work, preparing a meal with a smell so enticing that it made certain women drool. Of course, one must keep in mind that the only thing some of them had had in the past twenty-four hours was a tiny bag of airline peanuts and a glass of water.

"It smells… wonderful!" Lisa exclaimed, eyes wide. "Think we could eat now?"

"I doubt it's done cooking." The purple-haired girl responded, who was still being eyed suspiciously by Kasumi - neither girl had said more to one another than the simple greetings they'd first exchanged.

"Aww… that sucks." She pouted, tanned arms neatly folding over one another, placing them over her chest as she sulked.

"Oh, come off it." Ayane rolled her amber eyes, walking forwards. "This place if fucking huge… we'll never find-"

"Hey y'all! I found the rooms!" The Texan woman's voice carried, as Ayane clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head. Why did she bother?

"Tiny problem 'bout that, though." The others had arrived already, though, and they saw the problem – four, tiny rooms, with only one Queen-sized bed to each, and a bathroom attached. Not exactly luxurious, as one would expect after seeing the rest of the mansion.

"Bloody hell, even the kitchen's larger…" The albino took a step forwards, shaking her head, snow-coloured hair shaking slightly.

"What do you propose we do?" Helena was calm, though she and Christie treated each other icily since their initial greeting, neither saying much to the other, or even looking at them, other than slinging an insult, or shooting a glare.

"Split into four groups of two?" Lisa suggested, running a hand through her cropped, brown locks.

Tina nodded, grabbing the other American's arm, a wide grin spread across her face. "Hey there, roomie!"

And so the chaos began. Helena turned to her oriental friend, only to find Lei Fang had skipped across to Hitomi, smiling gently. "Would you like to be roommates?"

"Well… I… Kasumi…" Grey-blue eyes shot a nervous glance at the only friend she had in the world, receiving a reassuring nod and smile.

"That's alright, 'Tomi-chan… I believe my sister and I need the time alone anyway." She turned to Ayane, who was so shocked she couldn't even speak. The mere prospect of having to share a room with… with… _her_ was disturbing to say the least.

"Then yes." Hitomi returned Lei Fang's smile, watching as the Chinese woman giggled slightly.

"Alright then."

It took a moment to sink it. It really, truly did. But, as Christie rolled her eyes, and Helena turned her head, each blinked. A set of turquoise eyes flicked from pair to pair, as did a pair of violet, before they came to meet, staring at each other a moment, then backing away.

"No way in hell." Christie's exact words, her British accent ringing with a tone of defiance.

"I cannot say I look forward to this, either."

Everyone seemed content with their current roommate… everyone other than…

"Oy! You," the white-haired woman nodded at Ayane fiercely, wishing to make a deal. "I'll trade you my roommate for yours."

Ayane had lit up like a Christmas tree, even cracking a rare smile. She opened her mouth to respond, perfectly ready and willing to make that trade, before her half-sister spoke.

"If you don't mind… we have some things to discuss and catch up on with one another."

So this left Christie and Helena stuck in the same room – yes, there would be plenty of yelling that night. But the speakers were coming one once more, silencing a would-be fight.

"Ladies, my dear ladies… dinner is ready down the stairs, and to the right at the end of the long hallway. Please, enjoy your meal… and feel free to continue looking about afterwards." Donovan's voice clicked off once again, and the girls left their rooms to concentrate on the one thing they all wanted to do – fill their stomachs.

"Our little experiment is coming along marvellously…" The microphone was off, he was sure, and his hands were folded in front of him as he spoke to several people of both genders about him. "What do you think?"

"I'm not entirely sure how well the rooming situation is going to go over… some of them aren't too pleased about it." A slight Irish ring was held in this woman's voice as she spoke, somewhat nervously. No one dared oppose Donovan.

"Ah, Alyssa – you would be the one to bring that up… are your own conditions not good enough?" He chuckled darkly as a thin pair of arms encircled the redheaded woman, Alyssa's groan heard as the woman behind her gently bit into her neck, leaving marks on the soft flesh.

"N-no Donovan, s-sir… they're p-perfectly fine." She stuttered, half out of fear and half out of restraint, as she attempted not to lose control and burst into pleasured moans.

"Good, good…" He smirked again, though one could not see him, as his back was turned to his colleagues. In fact, all they got was the view of the back of a rather large chair. "Keep watching them – I want to know everything they say, do, or find…"

One of the many monitors in front of him showed the dining hall, where each and every girl was located. Helena was watching in disgust as Tina ripped into a chicken leg, and her worst enemy, Christie, shared the look. Maybe things between them were progressing – at least they shared their hatred for the obnoxious blonde American…

"Yes, Donovan." All of the men and women bowed out, some violently pressing their lips to one another, others merely holding hands as they walked away.  
"Now girls… act real nice for the cameras…" Donovan's voice was low, as he muttered. Sounds of their bickering and conversations were echoing about the dark room.

Yes… his experiment –was- coming along rather nicely indeed.

((A/N: Once again, I've decided to keep going instead of stopping where I hoped to. Oy, that would've made such a nice cliff-hanger, too. T-T Well, the chapter must go on… xD))

The meal was over – it had been nothing special. Except that Christie, Helena, Kasumi, Ayane, and Lei Fang had all lost their appetites watching Tina eat. Lisa hadn't seemed affected by it – she was most likely used to it, though.

"Well… I'm going back up to the rooms. I'm curious to see what's going on with clothing… I mean, I didn't see any of us with bags – I doubt we packed enough clothing for this." It was true. As Lisa's words sunk in, each of the girls began to ponder. One by one they climbed the stairs once more, heading for their shared rooms.

Glory behold – each found clothing in their dressers, and it was their own sizes, as if someone had slipped it all in there while they were eating. Underwear, bras, nightgowns, pajamas, shirts of all sorts, jeans, shorts – whatever they liked to wear was in there. Heck, even socks. It seemed the specialists had done their research after all – no one was overly disappointed by their clothing.  
Of course, one thing puzzled everyone – two bathing suits for each girl, all bikinis, had been dropped off. Generally, one does not walk around in only your bikini… but more exploring of their new home revealed exactly why they had them – there was one room, very large in size, with two pools and and a hot tub – perfect.

"Ya know, maybe this won't be that bad…" Tina smirked, rushing back to her room. "I'm goin' swimmin'!"

Some of the girls laughed and followed, while others scoffed. Hitomi and Lei Fang were the first two off after Tina, laughing. It seems they already had some sort of friendship… and Kasumi was left behind, feeling only slightly hurt. Still, it was good to see her German friend making more friends – even if that meant sacrificing herself.

YuRi Shipper: You should all be pleased as though you laid an egg – this is four pages on Microsoft Word for you. xD Well, three and a half. Same thing. To all my loyal reviewers, I thank you.

Note: Ninja girl 213, my story has no Spanish, sorry. I can't speak a lick of it. Perhaps you would feel better looking for stories in your own language? To brief you on what's going on… well, I can't say much that wasn't said in the story. Maybe a translator would help? Shoujo-ai/yuri is girl x girl love. Lesbians, homosexual interaction, whatever you wish to call it. Just another warning there. X-x


	5. Chapter Four

YuRi Shipper: X.X Sorry. I had Christmas shopping with my girlfriend.

Now, two things to take care of : One, I'm going to deal with something I hate to – people who praise the story and unintentionally flame me in the process.

Astragunner2002 – Hate is a very strong word. I could easily say I hate _you_ for saying that. Generally, when one writes shoujo-ai and yuri, one tends to be bisexual or a lesbian themselves. Ever take that into consideration? Maybe next time you should. I can't tell you to stop reading my stories, but I ask you not to say anything against homosexuality/bisexuality. It's a way of life – accept it. So what if you aren't that way? ACCEPT IT. Being homophobic is exactly like being racist. And there were plenty of warnings on this story – note the signs saying 'Femmslash, shoujo-ai, yuri, lesbian action, etc.'? Yeah, well, those were warnings. If you _knew_ you didn't like it, then why the hell did you read? Some people, honestly.

And lastly, as good YuRi Shipper returns, thank you to Evil-sick-cow, for giving me a good kick in the butt to write another chapter. xD

We're not Exactly 'Friends'

A splash was heard, followed by elated giggles. Several people did not partake in the playful pool romp, though four were, sometimes joined by Kasumi. Hitomi was currently being dunked under the water by an overzealous Lei Fang, and Tina and Lisa were having their own fun.

Ayane had retreated to the hot tub, where no one else was – she knew it'd be safe there. Amber eyes stared at the bubbling water with the utmost interest, purple locks falling in front of the orbs that usually burned with a fiery anger. Why she was always that way, it was hard to tell – though no doubt one of her Friday videos would give it away.

She pulled herself out of the warm waters, not even glancing in Kasumi's direction. She didn't have to – Ayane knew that if she was preparing to leave, her half-sister would follow. It seemed the redhead wanted the time to talk to her in private.

Her younger sister's leaving did not fail to be spotted by Kasumi, as she politely excused herself from the water war, exiting the pool and following behind Ayane.

Once they'd exited and walked in silence down the long hallway, towels wrapped about their sopping bodies, Ayane finally stopped, turning to glare at the red-haired woman behind her. "Why are you following me around?!"

It seems that had taken Kasumi off-guard, as she tottered, blinking at the unbridled anger before lifting a tender hand to her sister's cheek, the same concern she'd shown Hitomi before in her eyes. "What happened to you…"  
Ayane batted her sister's hand away spitefully, snarling. "Let's just not talk, alright?" It seemed fair enough to her…

Neither one had a chance to even think about to talking to the other, however, as a fight seemed to be occurring – inside of that room?

"What the bloody hell? There's no fucking way you're making me sleep on the floor, and there's no way I'm sharing the damned bed with you."  
"Well _I_ certainly won't be sleeping on the floor!"

"Really now? That's what you think? Because it sure as hell _looks_ like you'll be sleeping on the floor!"

The voices were quite clearly that of the tall, British woman Ayane remembered, and the French blonde. Their accents made them quite easy to identify, really.

"I doubt that! Mon Dieu, you are so stubborn!"  
"Fine, take the damned bed and see if I give a fuck!" With that said, Christie appeared, slamming the door behind her and shouting obscenities. She didn't even see Kasumi and Ayane as they passed. Both looked at one another, then shuddered, blinking that off. It was too late at night to be thinking about fights like that one, or even helping them.

---

At long last, one of the four pool-players hopped out, grabbing a towel to dry off her short dark locks. Lisa smiled, glancing at the others. Tina had followed shortly after her friend, leaving only Lei Fang and Hitomi in the pool. A smirk was exchanged between the two Americans, as the headed behind the large pillar to watch the pair secretly.

"They would be so cute together." Lisa commented, watching as Tina nodded, licking her lips and staring hungrily. "What's up with that look?" The dark woman asked, pouting.  
"Nothin'! Honest!" The blonde murmured back, giving a quiet chuckle as they continued their spying. "Just watchin' those two. Y'all think they're gonna hook up?"

"It's possible… but they just met each other." Lisa watched Tina, immediately regretting opening her mouth and even suggesting the pair of girls together. Her blonde friends was obsessing. "Give 'em some time, Tina."  
"Y'all're righ;, y'know…" That almost shocked Lisa to the point of no return, until Tina added mischeviously. "I think we're gonna haveta play matchmaker, darhlin'. And we're going to be damned good at it, too." That said, both made a sort of pact, and carefully exited the pool area, ready to get a good night's sleep… or something along those lines. It seemed not to even bother them that at that very moment they were being watched and listened to by oh so many cameras…

---

Donovan smirked as he watched Lisa and Tina plot this out. It was just too perfect – now he had that to look forward to as well as each Friday. If he didn't consider himself a highly respected man of science, he would've giggled like a school girl. "That's right, girls… and smile pretty for the cameras…"

YuRi Shipper: Sorry it's so short. X.X I didn't have much time. Anyway, you'll take what I give you, right? xD Here it is. Now, ciao. R&R – More reviews mean I'll update faster.


	6. Chapter Five

YuRi Shipper : I'll make my author's notes short this time, so I can jump into the chapter – to all my loyal reviewers, I thank you. You are what make stories worth writing. To my flamer (The Gunslinger), I say: go screw a donkey, fucker. I'm not in a good mood at the moment. And I'm Canadian too, and know for a fact that we don't say 'eh' that much, you dipshit... welcome to my 'hate list' which is posted on my user profile. And no, I do not believe Donovan was Helena's father, rather he had her father killed and was trying to take over the company. But that's just what I think… and this is A/U anyway. xD

And I wasn't trying to make them seem evil/perverted. Don't worry, I'll save some males, I swear. Males are very nice people. I didn't realize I was putting most down, but, looking back, I'm sorry to say I was. Don't worry, though – I'll make it up to you in later chapters. -nods-

The First Friday

Brown eyes fluttered open, long lashes tickling the back of someone else's neck. The oriental woman almost flipped out, realizing there was someone sleeping beside her – but, after a moment, it all sunk in. Donovan, his treachery… all of it.

She felt slightly angered – but only for a moment, if that. The young beauty that lay sleeping beside her, so close that they were touching, was enough to make her heart do leaps as it jumped upwards into her throat. The girl in front of her was inhaling deeply, and exhaling in the same manner – she was definitely asleep.

Lei Fang sighed, taking in the other's scent. They'd both grabbed showers last night, so chlorine wasn't an issue. No, it was a sweet smell that she couldn't quite place, like coconut, pineapple or vanilla.

Her fingers twitched. The Chinese woman was fighting every urge in her body to not reach out and touch her. No, having their bodies pressed together would have to be enough, even if Hitomi's back was facing her.

Hitomi… the very name was angelic. She had to be an angel. After all, Lei Fang didn't normally just fall head over heels for every brunette that walked in the door.

The loud speakers crackled on at that very moment, and the college student was tempted to find this Donovan and tear his head off for interrupting her crush's sleep, for as his voice started to come over the speakers, Hitomi stirred, groggily pulling herself into a sitting position on the bed, resting on her elbows. She didn't quite look awake, with her hair sticking in every direction and one eye open slightly larger than the other, but it was cute nonetheless.

"Good morning girls…" A dark chuckle followed his words. "I hope you slept well… I know some of you did." Why did Lei Fang feel that was directed at her? "At any rate… today is Friday. After all, you did come here Thursday. Had you forgotten? Ask the chefs for some popcorn – tonight, it's movie time. I think you'll find that no matter whose name is drawn, it will be an interesting night. That's all – enjoy the next twelve hours. After that, one of you will have… well, you know." The speakers clicked, indicating they'd shut off.

Hitomi mumbled something before flopping back onto the bed, asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Lei Fang giggled, half at the cuteness of it all, and half at the prospect of having a little while longer to be that close to the German girl… correction, hot little German girl.

---

Christie woke on the floor, her body feeling stiff and aching. She had not had a good night's sleep at all, especially knowing that Helena had taken the bed as her own. Donovan's announcement hadn't even woken up that pig of a French woman!

The albino muttered curses under her breath, sitting up and whacking the blonde woman with her pillow, only to be hit back. "Oy! That wasn't very nice!"  
"It's too early for you to be bothering me…" Helena moaned, turning on the bed so her back faced the Brit. Christie smirked, jumping onto the bed beside her, causing the blonde's turquoise eyes to fall on her, glaring at this woman who _dare_ jump onto the bed. "Off."

"Not until you'll hear me out." Helena wasn't particularly happy about that idea… but Christie seemed to be settling in, and that couldn't be allowed.

"Alright, but make it quick." The Brit smirked at that answer, sitting up and running a hand through her layered locks. "Just wanted to say I hope it's your video tonight, bitch." With that she flew out of the room, chuckling as Helena raged inside.

---

The day was rather uneventful. The group had found many more areas of the house, such as a bar, a living area with a large (very large) television screen set up with surround sound. Yet, somehow, no one really felt like watching the tube… so they'd all done whatever they pleased. Lisa had stumbled across a gym, which was composed of about five courts put together, so that you could have many sports going on at once. This is where Lisa and Tina could currently be found, wrestling playfully on the blue mats.

"Well – ungh! – what do you think?" The dark woman asked while being flipped by her friend.

"'Bout what, sug'?" She grabbed hold of the other girl again as they started to push against one another. Really, their wrestling was more like… sumo wrestling. But the participants weren't nearly as fat.

"The girls…" Both stopped, letting go of one another.

"I think they're all hawt, to tell y'all the truth…"

"Tina!" Lisa gasped, giggling as she playfully swatted her friend's arm.

"Well, it's true, y'know. Have you by any chance at all looked at that English woman's tits?"  
"You're so nasty." Lisa was almost in fits of laughter now, punching Tina's arm. "Cut it out… I wasn't asking about their looks! I meant about possible couples, duh!"

"Me an' all o' them." Another, loud slap was heard, echoing in the otherwise empty gym.

---

The loudspeaker crackled on once again, the dark chuckle every woman in the mansion had learned to hate. "It's time, girls… please, make your way to the viewing room – you all know where that is. Large screen t.v., huge speakers? Yes, that room."

No matter where they were, each woman went, though some were rather upset about it, grumbling, cussing… etc. But all feared the consequences of not obeying – Donovan was a powerful man, apparently.

Each took a seat on the sofas, Hitomi sitting in between Lei Fang and Kasumi. She'd barely had a chance to talk to the redhead since this whole thing had began… but, Kasumi being her oldest friend, the amber-eyed woman was the one she clung to, grey-blue eyes fearful. Her videos, she knew, would not be pleasant.

"I hope you're all prepared for this… now, there are all your names in this hat." A hat appeared on screen, held by a man dressed as a servant. He fidgeted uneasily, but held the hat, showing it to the camera. "This good man here will pull a random piece of paper that will decide exactly which one of you will get a flash from the past this week." He chuckled, before barking out orders. "Rin, pull the blasted name already!" The scared man did as told, unfolding the paper and holding it to the screen. On it was written the name of…

------

YuRi Shipper: Well, it's short, but I've run out of time… and heck, why waste a suspenseful moment by telling you whose name got pulled? Anyway, R&R - the faster you do, the faster you'll get an answer. (You can also make wild guesses at who you think it is, etc.) Ciao!


	7. Chapter Six

YuRi Shipper: To keep it short and sweet – sorry I haven't updated in forever. Life was busy.

And the gunslinger's reviews were indeed removed – why? Because I had the power to do so. And no, no one else has been raped – it's just Hitomi. –pets her-

Disclaimer: Nothing is owned. So there.

Without Further Ado

"Wait, Robert." Donovan's voice interrupted the man who was about to reveal the piece of paper, so that he looked upwards. "I want to play a little game with them first." The man nodded, running pale fingers through thick black locks, waiting patiently on screen, not showing the women anything now.

"First off, I'd like to congratulate a few of you – Tina, you really just don't seem to care. Though I'm sure you will…" The blonde Texan smirked, flicking her hair idly.

"Don't count on it." She responded rather confidently.

Donovan's eerie chuckle sent shivers down the spines of most of the women – it was something most were certain they'd never get used to, no matter how long he held them captive in his little experiment.

"And I'd also like to ask you all a question – just raise your hand, please." Several pairs of eyes looked anxious, though none more so than that of Hitomi's – blue-grey eyes had not been so wide, so afraid in so long…

_"Father, please, don't…" A loud slap echoed trough the empty household, and the wide, yet oddly blank eyes of a young Hitomi stared at the floor, unshed tears collecting in their depths, preparing to betray her – it was bad enough this happened so often… and even worse if she cried. He took it as a sign of weakness._

_ "Shut up, or someone will hear you." And, of course, that wasn't something that would benefit either of the father-daughter pair. Not at all – death would come on swift wings to a loud Hitomi who attracted too much attention – and jail and police on wings that were just not fast enough to save her would find her father. _

_ She grew silent, staring at the floor once again, nodding solemnly as tears rolled down her cheeks, causing small stains on their pale surfaces. Her bottom lip was sucked in ever so slightly so front teeth could imbed themselves in it – she knew that she'd be biting her lip as long as her father was there._

_ And he intended to stay for quite some time – one could come to this conclusion by watching as his pants came off his body. The young girl winced, pink headband still firmly in place on her head, preparing herself for the inevitable…_

"Hitomi? 'Tomi-chan?" The soft whisper woke her from her nightmarish reverie, causing the brunette to blink. "Hn?"  
Donovan's voice made her jump slightly, clinging to the woman who had been speaking earlier, Kasumi. Lei Fang's eyes were alight with jealousy from beside them, though no one noticed – most had their hands in the air.

"So, you don't think you have anything to hide, Hitomi? Are you positive? Maybe you should raise your hand… just for good measure." Finally, the youngest looked about, realizing what Donovan's 'question' must have been – who felt they had something to hide? Christie's hand was up, as were those of Ayane, a reluctant Helena, nonchalant Lisa, sheepish Lei Fang, and a sombre Kasumi. Tina didn't seem fazed, her arms miraculously folded across her bust as she shrugged. "I ain't got nothin' to hide…" But the question hadn't been directed at her.

Slowly, ever so slowly, one arm left its place around Kasumi's waist to shakily hold itself in the air for a moment.

Donovan seemed satisfied – he wouldn't bother her anymore with this, or at least, not at the moment. "You may all put your hands down… Robert!" The man had been examining his nails in obvious boredom. "Show them the name, damn it man!" He nodded, doing so hurriedly. In bold, black, capital letters there was the name 'Helena' written… and a stunned silence filled the room. That was until one particular woman snorted, and proceeded to giggle.

"It was Helena? Oh, oh, this is _rich!_" Christie seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself, noting the scowl and glare being sent from the French woman in her direction. "I mean, I'm so sorry Helena." She put on a face of mock sympathy, making the long-haired blonde turn her nose skywards in disdain.

"Let's just watch the video." Between the Brit and the French woman, quite a scene had been created. Some people were staring, though others were attempting to only sneak peeks out of the corners of their eyes. The only two truly not paying any attention to the fight whatsoever were Hitomi and Lei Fang – this was mainly because the German girl was still clinging to Kasumi's waist as if her very life depended on it, and the Chinese woman was glaring daggers at the redhead, who, in her mind, was _stealing_ the attention and affections of the pretty German.

The screen, however, soon caught all their attention as it crackled to life, causing each woman to stop what they were doing, turning to watch. The lights had dimmed earlier, but were now completely out. And, with not even a comment from Donovan, the 'movie' started…

_A bow sat neatly in front of a long, flowing ponytail as the girl glanced at her reflection in the mirror – eyes that were neither blue nor green stared back, their depths shimmering like that of the ocean's. A small smile lit her pale features, blonde bangs framed her face. __Helena__ hadn't changed much over the years – she still retained this look of sophistication and that of a young woman. _

_ One could assume she was no older than sixteen in the video, with her features somewhat younger than her being any older would permit. A hand straightened a white blouse that bore the emblem of a school – her boarding school. A green plaid skirt and knee-high stockings, accompanied by black shoes didn't make her look the most fashionable – but, for living in __France__ and in this particular neighbourhood for the wealthy, she more than fit in wearing this outfit._

_ "Miss Helena, your mother requests that you do hurry along." A stuffy, old, English man entered the room, his nose too large for his face and beady black eyes too close together.  
"Oui… please tell her I'll be there in a moment, Monsieur Jaques." Her French accent was even more prominent in her speech then than it was in current times, so it seemed._

_ "As you wish, Miss Helena." He excused himself from the room with a bow, heading to deliver her message._

_The movie suddenly skipped scenes, showing __Helena__ outside a large school, small bag over one shoulder comfortably, and a couple of books in her hand. Her class was not far away – after all, though the school was large, very few of its rooms were used. There were only, to make a rough estimate, forty-odd students._

_ She reached class on time, as always, punctual. She smiled softly, noting this, and taking her seat. Lucky her – she had no one to sit at the desk to her left, and the window was to her right, meaning Helena had no distractions whatsoever while doing work._

_ "Class, I would like to introduce a new student today." The girls in the classroom all looked up attentively, eyes wide. What? You thought that such a boarding school would be co-ed? Certainly not._

_ "This is Christie." A bony hand landed on the shoulder of a rather tall girl, with striking violet eyes, pale skin, and snow-white hair…_

"This is supposed to be Helena's film, Donovan – not mine!" Present-time Christie didn't seem too pleased with this sudden turn of events.

"Hush, Christie – it's focusing on her, after all. And besides, I thought it would be best to explain your constant bickering to the rest of these lovely ladies." Though not pleased, the albino huffily shut up.

_"She's come to us all the way from __England__." The teacher stated, tapping the albino on the shoulder. Though the girl was dressed like the rest of the others, one thing about her was obvious – she wasn't the same. Wasn't like them. They all had some gleam in their eye, an eager will to learn. They seemed… happy. At peace, even. And, while her face placid and calm, her eyes were, to say the least, dull and languid. She seemed to have a lack of any real human emotion – just that sense of ultimate boredom.  
"Take a seat beside __Helena__… oh, __Helena__, please raise your hand." Even the teacher had a French accent… Christie hated the place already.  
Helena's hand went up obediently, and cerulean eyes remained focused on the Brit as she approached, obviously not really caring who she sat beside, as she didn't even offer a hello._

_ In an attempt to be friendly, the blonde smiled, offering a 'bonjour.' Christie sat and ignored, however. _

_ And, just as before, the scene skipped, though this time reading, in white letters across the screen, 'two months later'._

_ "Christie… I-I…" She wasn't sure how to put this. Knowing full-well, however, that the albino had neglected to ever pick up her mother tongue, the French woman whispered the words as she watched the Brit raise an eyebrow, not even that interested in her. "Je t'aime." _

And it seemed that one little secret was out – if anyone understood French, that was. But the little subtitles by the bottom of the screen that read 'I love you' really helped. In fact, they helped quite a bit.

YuRi Shipper: Wow, now I'm tired. I seriously considered doing Hitomi for this chapter, but then said 'nah, let's not do that just yet – keep her in suspense!'. I must say, I'm actually rather proud of this chapter… I'm hoping most of my reviewers are still kickin' around… -searches for them- Anywho, R&R mes amigos! –flies off to attempt and write a one-shot as well-


	8. Chapter Seven

YuRi Shipper: Baaaah… everyone's updating so fast, I can't compete. xDDD

I spelled the 'mis amigos' thing wrong last time? Daaaamn. xD That's what you get for using Spanish when you really only know English and French. –chuckles nervously and inches away- I own nothing, though… -pulls a Stewie- Victory will be mine!

Hitomi: Oh… my…

Lei Fang: That was scary.

Kasumi: Someone has watched a tad too much television.

YuRi Shipper: Ehhh?! I thought I had you guys locked in the closet?

Hitomi: It was made of wood. And Christie's a smoker.

Kasumi: Don't worry! –smiles innocently- I put the fire out!

YuRi Shipper: My… my room… -sobs and runs to check in on it-

Fight, fight, fight...

Many curious sets of eyes darted between Christie and Helena now – the Brit seemingly unfazed, and the blonde turning a lovely shade of crimson. Oh yes, Donovan would be dying sometime soon… that is, if she could help it. Damn bastard, showing something like that…

"I'm sure you all have much to discuss with Helena, now… so I'll leave you be. Good night, girls." Donovan cut out, and almost as soon as he did, many female voices clashed, different things being said, being asked… it was all a loud jumble of noise that made no sense. And most of it was directed at the French woman, who looked about ready to snap at them, or cry. It seemed that it would be the former, however, as she slipped out of her usual sophisticated state of being for a while to let out a rather loud cry.  
"Please! Mon Dieu! I'll answer your questions, but could we please try speaking one at a time?" The noise ceased, and she had time to collect herself, before looking at the rest of the women. "Alright…"

Never one to waste time, Tina was the first to start up again. "So were you an' Christie in some form of relationship?" If Helena was over the initial shock of Tina using a word as large as 'relationship', she sure as heck didn't show, cerulean eyes rather wide as she stumbled over a response.  
"Not exactly." Christie, the ever silent one, finally cut in, voice colder than it must've been outside at the very instant. "It wasn't anything serious."

"Not to you, maybe." Helena seemed to have finally snapped out of her daze – and she seemed mad. "But that's precisely why it didn't work out, now, isn't it?" Her voice had become a low hiss, and her usually soft (or disapproving, depending on how she saw you) gaze had narrowed, focusing angrily on the Brit, who returned the look of sheer hatred.

"It didn't 'work out' because someone's a bitch."  
"Is that so? Perhaps it didn't 'work out' because _someone_ uses too much vulgar language, or maybe because _someone_ was too secretive."

"Sure as hell wasn't me."

"Stop your lying." And right about there the two broke out into animated bickering, making several of the other women flinch.

"Sorry I asked…" Tina mumbled, plugging her ears with her fingers and heading in the direction of the bedrooms, motioning with a nod of her head for Lisa to follow.

The dark-skinned woman did so, and both Americans quietly stole off, leaving the rest to suffer through the noise.

"Are y'all thinkin' what I am?" The blonde asked of her friend once they were safely inside their room, the door shut.

"You want to play matchmaker still, don't you?" Lisa sighed as the Texan nodded her head eagerly, a goofy, yet mischevious grin spreading across her features. "Y'all went an' read my mind… but the thing is, those two have history together. Small setback bein' that it don't sound like good history…" She trailed off, leaving Lisa to attempt and fill in the blanks.

She ran a hand through dark, cropped locks, sighing. "What do you want me to do?"

Tina smirked. "That's the spirit! Now, I'll work with Christie, and you take 'Lena – she don't seem to like me too much. Here's the plan…"

Hushed whispers were all that could be made out, along with the occasional 'oh', giggle, and, at the end… "You're brilliant, Tina."  
"O' course I am!"

---

Downstairs, the fighting had never ceased – in fact, it had merely escalated, Christie furious and Helena quite upset as they slung insults and pointed fingers.

Ayane had had enough. She'd left long ago, eyes closed and arms across her chest. No tolerance with that girl, none whatsoever.

This left Lei Fang, Kasumi and Hitomi with a pair of fighting women on their hands. Poor Lei Fang wanted out of there quickly, but she wasn't about to leave Kasumi and Hitomi alone – not after the amount of hugging and snuggling she'd seen those two doing.

And Hitomi didn't seem to be planning on leaving any time soon. In fact, she was quite absorbed with it all. Kasumi seemed far away – physically there, but mentally somewhere else.

Yes, it had been an odd two days… but it could only get much worse as Donovan forced them to remain prisoner.

---

No one slept easy that night, if at all. Christie and Helena had never truly stopped their bickering – at least, not until the middle of the night, when a presumably quite pissed off Ayane threatened their lives and yelled a quite angered. "Shut up!"

Lei Fang rolled over, finding herself staring into a pair of blue-grey eyes. For a moment, neither girl spoke, but then the silence became unbearable.

"Do you think… do you think that they'll hurt each other?" Hitomi's voice was barely above a whisper as she looked to the Chinese woman for reassurance – which was precisely what she was to receive. Lei Fang gave a tiny smile, reaching both arms about her cautiously, pulling her into a hug.

"I doubt either one of them would go that far." She murmured, resting her chin on top of the younger girl's head, feeling as the German nodded, and hearing her yawn. She would have said 'you should try and get some sleep now', if not for the simple fact that Hitomi had obviously beaten her to that one. She sighed, closing her own eyes and attempting to catch some sleep as well. Heaven knows she needed it… and Lei Fang could definitely get used to this position.

A tiny smile graced her features as her grip around the younger girl grew a bit tighter. And, in her sleep, Hitomi's own arms latched onto the Chinese woman, a little noise heard as she did this.

YuRi Shipper: Ugh, horrible end for a chapter, and so short… but hey, I'm really busy. Exam week, you know. x.x R&R so I can update with a better, longer chapter next time.


	9. Chapter Eight

YuRi Shipper: For all my fans, I've finally updated this story, too. I'd like to leave you all with this, though, before I delve further into the story:

Know that you can accomplish anything. So, for those of you saying you could never write the way I do, hey! It takes a little time, but anyone can do it. I mean, reading helps. I always find more descriptive words when I read, or different ways to express things, yada yada, you get the point. I encourage you all to write fics of your own (particularly the shoujo-ai goodness. -drools-)

Enjoy the chapter that I finally got around to writing.

And yes, exams are -well- over. xD But thank you to everyone who wished me luck!

Hell In A Can 

The night was still – everyone was quiet, even the pair of bickering Europeans. Christie had fallen asleep on the floor, mumbling in her sleep every now and again, rolling back and forth, while Helena stared at the ceiling, silently contemplating the very woman she had yelled at for at least three hours that night. Eyes the colour of the sea blinked, a slender finger rising to wipe away a tear as she lay in bed.

"Mon Dieu… what happened to us?" Her voice was a whisper, hoarse and quiet. It did not interrupt the peace of the night, as what was to come would…

The blonde sat up so quickly her head spun upon hearing a loud, female scream. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a mop of messy snow coloured hair as its owner woke as well, not looking surprised, though obviously taken off-guard. Why did Christie feel the need to hide her emotions so much? If only she had been more open… perhaps what they had would have lasted.

The door to their room was almost broken down as a very pissed off Ayane grumbled, snarled and stormed inside. "Which one of you tried to kill the other one?"

Kasumi was behind her, tapping the younger girl on the shoulder. Tina and Lisa had also entered the room, immediately assuming, as had Ayane, that it had been the Brit and French woman going at it once again.

"Bloody Hell, give me a break…" This was uttered among many other curses as one of the women in question stood, rubbing at an eye tiredly. "It wasn't us. Get it through your fucking thick skull…"

"That's what I've been trying to tell you, Ayane…" Kasumi piped up, and finally got the attention she had been trying to collect for the past minute.

"Then who was it, oh perfect one?" She snapped, obviously rather angry that her sleep had been disrupted and she'd proceeded to enter the incorrect room.

"Hitomi-chan." The red-haired woman whispered, looking towards the floor as she walked out of the room, followed by many of the others, who wore curious, or pissed, expressions on their faces… but they all wanted some form of explanation. "Sometimes… she has these nightmares. I can – " She winced as another scream pierced the night still, and said no more, instead heading for her friend's room.

"Oh my… are we interruptin' somethin'?" Tina finally spoke, staring mischievously at the scene in front of them. Hitomi was thrashing, arms and legs waving wildly as she fought off an invisible attacker, whilst Lei Fang sat on top of her, legs straddling her hips and hands on her shoulders, in an attempt to wake the youngest girl. She was only succeeding in being kicked, kneed, slapped and punched repeatedly… but the Chinese woman hadn't lost any of her flair, giving a saucy look in the American's direction as if to say 'Ha ha, very funny. Not.'

Kasumi said not a word, though amber eyes stared with a sort of burning at the other woman – it wasn't until yet another scream was heard that her death glare was stopped. Why seeing Lei Fang on top of Hitomi had made her so… so mad, she would never know.

"I know how to deal with this… but you might have to get off of Hitomi-chan." She murmured, and found that Lei Fang was all too eager to comply. True, had the situation been different, she would have been quite reluctant to leave the petite German… but, at the moment, she did not feel like acquiring anymore bruises than she already had.

It did not take long for Kasumi to replace her, sitting beside the younger one instead of on top of her, leaning over the brunette's sleeping form and mumbling in her ear, ignoring the fist that flew into her stomach as a result. Shushing sounds were heard, and eventually, the thrashing stopped, turning to sobs… and then she woke up, grey-blue eyes tear-filled and puffy already. The crying did not stop when this happened – it merely allowed Kasumi to wrap both arms about the younger girl, as the German did the same. Pitiful sounds came from her, tears flowing freely out of her eyes. It was as if the rest of the world didn't even exist – just the nightmare, and now this person who could provide comfort.

Ayane looked upon the scene with rage building, and she was tempted to slap the little one who had interrupted her slumber, then go after her older sister. Instead, she turned to Lei Fang, making a grunting sound. "I don't think she'll be able to leave any time soon… so I really don't think you'll be getting your bed back." It pained her to say the next bit, but she knew it was her duty to do so. "If you need to finish sleeping, you can do it in my room – I'll be up for the rest of the day now."

Several of the other women murmured their agreement, walking stiffly out of the room, where Kasumi was pulling the covers over them with one arm, the other still firmly about the crying girl. Lei Fang felt numb – just a few hours ago, that had been her pulling up the covers, her with her arms wrapped around Hitomi…

Jealously worked its way into every nook and cranny in the dark-haired woman's body as she finally left the room, head bowed and a murderous look in her eye as she padded over to Ayane and Kasumi's room, taking the purple-haired woman's offer. She wanted to finish sleeping – just not without the brunette who currently rested in someone else's arms.

It didn't help that she'd seen Kasumi plant a kiss on the girl's forehead, nor that she'd seen her lips brush 'accidentally' against her ear when she was whispering to her. And Lei Fang could only hope that those punches she'd received in the stomach had hurt her – she wanted the eldest Japanese woman to suffer… suffer for something that wasn't even her fault, really… just so long as she suffered, the way she was suffering knowing Hitomi wasn't hers. That she didn't belong to her.

At least everyone had finally left the room – it would have been impossible for Hitomi to calm herself amid all the whispering, the glances and the murmur. She had at least calmed herself to the state of hiccups, and the occasional whimper.

"Shhh… I'm here…" Those words were most definitely comforting – she knew she had a friend beside her, protecting her from someone who shouldn't have been able to touch her anymore… her father had left more behind each time he'd raped her than a broken body. He'd dulled her spirit, and left emotional scars, ones that would ensure nightmares that Hitomi would never be rid of, one that would ensure she could never truly escape him… she'd always be his. Even if she didn't want to be, he owned her. He'd stolen her, and he still had some part of her.

"Go back to sleep. I won't leave you, 'Tomi-Ta…" The nickname was only used by one person that she knew, of course. With the next hiccup came a small nod, and she tried to do as told, afraid what awaited her in the land of slumber… A cheek rested a top hers, on occasion the person turning their head to nuzzle comfortingly, or to whisper in her ear. Kasumi – what a good friend she was to have.

She might have given her thanks had she not have been drifting back to sleep already, stormy eyes fluttering close. Her head sunk into the pillow a tad, indicating she was no longer making any effort to hold it up even slightly. Kasumi sighed, working herself into a more comfortable position. She wouldn't be leaving anytime soon – may as well be at ease. A small tune was hummed under her breath as she herself closed her eyes, almost wishing she could rock the girl to sleep. Pity for the German overwhelmed her. "What happened to you?"

-

The next morning was awkward – Ayane, as promised, had remained up, though she looked like a train wreck. Christie, upon waking up, had started provoking Helena into more and more fights, causing the violet-haired Japanese woman's head to pound. Why couldn't they just put it all behind them? Why did they insist on such senseless bickering? Was it simply to annoy her?

She made a rather frustrated sound, punching the wall to take out some of her frustration. Where was Donovan's annoying little self when you needed to vent?

Upstairs, Kasumi was wide awake, though she remained in bed, holding Hitomi to her chest, lost in thought. Amber pools had glazed over as she stared at the young girl's face, cautiously bringing a hand up to press against one cheek. How young she looked when she slept. A smile graced the redhead's features, as she shifted, slowly leaning in towards the brunette's face, eyes half-closed…

She drew back abruptly, breathing heavily. What was she doing? Kasumi was rather bewildered, staring at her younger friend's face once more. Why had she just tried to… to… that thought didn't even complete itself, as a conversation started up in her mind.

_/You know, she is rather cute like that…/  
No! I mustn't think that way…  
/Admit it – you wanted to kiss her./  
Who are you?  
/You sub-conscious. That little bit you hardly ever listen to. Hear me now, though – you are not hetero /  
I am! How could you say such a thing?  
/Did you notice what you were about to do? Come on, now, Kasumi. Be reasonable – you can't hide anything from me. We're the same person, after all./  
I'm going insane. This isn't happening…_

_/Don't deny it. It's happening – and something else almost just happened… look at her. Innocent as a baby, isn't she? Long lashes falling on her cheeks, her hair splayed out like that, full lips just slightly parted…/_

The girl moaned softly, not noticing as she leaned in once more, breath heavy. Her 'sub-conscious' was right – Hitomi did look rather innocent. And her lips – it was enough to make her moan again, looking at them. They were full… and slightly parted, as promised…

_/One quick kiss couldn't hurt… go for it…/_

_I-I can't.  
/And why not? She isn't going to wake up – trust me. That girl is out like a blown light bulb./_

It was true – Hitomi was sound asleep, and showed no signs of waking. She wasn't even moving around or making tiny noises, like she normally did. The only times she was tired enough to be like this was after a nightmare, or when she'd had an especially hard day at work…

Sweat trickled down Kasumi's brow, as her lips finally descended upon Hitomi's, resting there for an instant. Every part of her screamed yes at once, making her dive in further. She really shouldn't have, and she knew it – she was trying to pull away, but only succeeded in sliding her tongue into the younger girl's mouth.

She felt a reaction beneath her, and amber eyes hesitated to open – when they did, they met a pair of grey-blue staring back at her. Slowly, the pair broke apart, neither saying anything. In shock – they were both simply in shock.

Kasumi scolded herself, this time without her 'sub-conscious' interfering – at least, it hadn't yet. She should have waited! Why did she do this now? Hitomi… she'd just taken advantage of her. She hadn't even been awake for Christ's sake!  
_  
/You waited for two years, though… you've loved her since you first saw her./_

Reality hit her hard – thanks to a certain little voice in her head.

YuRi Shipper: You should all be pleased with this lengthy little number… I mean, look at it! Beautiful, no? RR – I EXPECT it for this chapter! I really, really do. Sorry that I kind of broke away from Christie and Helena for a little bit, there… but it had to be done! I was building far too much sexual tension between others to ignore it. Wait'll Ayane gets wind of this…

So… yeah. X.x Like it? Hate it? Tell me! YuRi out!


	10. Chapter Nine

YuRi Shipper: I got more reviews than expected… so my update came faster than I expected. See, I'm 'busy' Mondays. xD So, yeah… but hey, anything for the reviewers. -wasn't expecting over 40 reviews- Wowza.

Ayane: Could it be they reviewed because one : there's been more of me lately, two: Lei Fang isn't getting what she wants, and three: you left them on a cliff-hanger? No, those couldn't be the reasons-sarcasm-

YuRi Shipper: Eheh… ignore her. Just read on, and pretend that was never there… -whispers- Christie, get 'er…

Awkward Situations Call For Awkward Measures

For a moment, neither girl moved, Kasumi's face still only inches from the young German's as she breathed heavily, swallowing. This could not be good… all thanks to that little voice inside her head… But wasn't it technically a part of her? So she believed, yes. But it was still the voice's fault. Damned subconscious.

Hitomi drew back, the situation finally sinking in. "I-I… I'm going to… to go downstairs…" She mumbled, sitting up abruptly and rushing out of the room, leaving a certain redhead to beat herself up.

_/Wow… that didn't exactly go the way I thought it would./_

_No kidding!_

And there it was once more, that annoying little voice that seemed to revel in getting her into trouble with the little brunette.

_/Geeze, stop your whining… didn't you at least get to taste those lips/_

_You're evil._

_/Think what you like. I'm only here to point you in the right direction… and Hitomi's definitely the right direction, if you get what I'm saying, here./  
You don't sound like me at all._

A pause – there were no more voices in her head, and she as glad. Maybe they'd leave her alone now, at least until after she could patch things up… that was, if she could. Amber orbs widened as she finally came to the grim realization that 'patching things up' with Hitomi might be far easier said than done.

Downstairs, Ayane noted the rushing, near tears Hitomi with grim satisfaction. At least she was getting it out now instead of during the middle of the night. The purple-haired woman bowed her head, fiery eyes closing as she entered deep thought… or so it would appear. It only took a moment for her calm to be shattered, as the very two who had been grating on her nerves since the previous night walked by, screeching at one another.

"It was entirely your fault!"

"Well, excuse me for not being able to cope with you being so bitchy and controlling!"

"I am not controlling!"

Death glares and harsh words were exchanged as the pair continued to duke it out, violet meeting cerulean in a battle of the… erm… insults and finger-pointing, mainly.

"Enough!" Ayane stood, breathing heavily through her nose, looking for all the world like a bull about to run through its fighter. "Sit down, and listen to me for a change." Helena was all too eager to comply, sitting with her hands folded in her lap. Christie was a different matter, though, crossing her arms over her chest and snorting, turning her head with a sneer.

"And why should I listen to you?" She brought up an interesting point – after all, she had no reason to listen to her. Ayane stood… what, roughly 5'2"? She towered above the cold Japanese woman by at least eight inches, for goodness sake! Yet, had one seen the murderous expression crossing Ayane's features, they would have done as told.

"Ah!" The Brit had been slammed down onto the couch by a furious Ayane, who sat on top of the stunned woman triumphantly. The blonde, who had sat calmly for the most part, fidgeted, watching as the shocked expression made its way across Christie's usually cool or angered features.

'Why couldn't she have shown such emotion back then?' Just knowing the albino was indeed capable of forming facial expressions was quite shocking, actually. She stared in awe, as the British woman fought to regain control of her emotions, reining them back as if she'd realized her slip up.

"Fine… I'll sit." She breathed, now calm once more, placid to the point of being languid in every movement she made, every word she spoke.

"Good!" Ayane exclaimed, obviously still pissed. "Now, feel this." A hand came down on one of Christie's cheeks, the other landing with a smack on Helena's. Simultaneously, they both grabbed at the affected area, though different reactions occurred. The blonde woman merely looked indignant, whilst the one with snow-white locks looked ready to kill. And, knowing her, she most likely was.

"Listen up! I don't need to babysit you – you two are supposedly grown woman, damn it! And here you are, whining about how it used to be, and whose fault it was. Want to know a little secret? No one else here gives a fuck! You've been keeping us up at night for no fucking reason! So screw it. Take care of your god-damned problems somewhere else – but not while we're all trapped in this hellhole." She backed away, fuming as she trudged off. There was a bar that had been discovered last night, by none other than Tina, at some point or another – and she intended to make full use of its services.

It would be an understatement to say she was surprised to spot a drunk Hitomi putting up a single, slender finger when she arrived, amid many a glass that the solitary bartender was trying to clean up hurriedly.

"What the hell are you doing in a bar? Aren't you a little…" She searched for a word, smirking as she took a place beside Hitomi . "Under-aged?"

"So?" The reply was cool, yet slurred. The girl before Ayane was not the one she had seen the first day at the large sort of 'mansion' – no, this wasn't the happy-go-lucky little Hitomi everyone else seemed to believe she was. And so it was with ultimate satisfaction that she ordered a beer for herself, deciding to toast it to this other girl's misery, not taking the time to think about why she was so upset…

That was, until she had the cold, alcoholic beverage in her hand. "Wait a second…" Pulling a disgusted face, she tilted her head. Ayane had been amazingly vocal for someone who hated interaction, lately… "Wasn't my – wasn't Kasumi up there making you feel better?"

"She sure has a funny way of doing it." A hiccup followed this statement, as the German girl put away another beer. "You generally don't make out with – hic – the ones you're supposed to be – hic – cheering up… especially not when they're – hic, hic – asleep." She barely finished her sentence before keeling over on the bar, groaning and shaking her head. Man, she was going to have a hell of a hangover…

But Ayane wasn't worried about that at the moment. No, she currently felt a most familiar emotion boiling deep within her, as she stood, fists clenched so tightly by her sides that her knuckles turned white as she walked, heading upstairs in the direction of the rooms. Looks like Kasumi's moments were numbered.

YuRi Shipper: Holy. Shit. A lot of Ayane that chapter, as per request. Now R&R


	11. Chapter Ten

YuRi Shipper: Wow… reviews. And my lack of posting… a teacher at my high school died. I had a funeral to attend and such. Anywho, I was hoping this chapter would satisfy any questions y'all have and such. Read and review, please.

I'm very impressed by the number of reviewers, so you know. -wink-

Disclaimer: What do I own? Nothing. Zippo. Bupkus.

* * *

The purple-haired woman had reached the top of the stairs before she stopped to think, mentally kicking herself. She had to calm down, think this through with a clear head… why was she so upset? Seeing the sickeningly cheerful girl that miserable had made her perfectly happy before she knew _why_ the German had been moping. Amber eyes seemed to reflect fiery fury, though she allowed the bright orbs to slide closed, as she thought about the current situation a tad longer.

Sadly, she had reached a sort of conclusion – she couldn't harm Kasumi. She had no reason to touch her sister that would satisfy anyone. They'd jump to conclusions, and she didn't want them going there… no, she'd just have to find another way out. The youngest Japanese woman thought a tad longer, before a rather devious smirk crossed her normally blank, or angry, face. Oh, she may not have any right to care… but she knew who did.

To Ayane, it had become blatantly obvious that the Chinese woman she'd allowed to sleep in her room last night had grown rather attached to the youngest member of the captured crew. Indeed, it was true – Lei Fang was her name, correct?  
She allowed her face to become a blank mask once more, shoving her own door open roughly, praying that the dark-haired one would still be there…

Lo and behold, not only was Lei Fang there, but just getting up, too. How precious… and all too perfect. Ayane had to suppress yet another smirk as she strode casually to her dresser, pondering how to start conversation with this girl…

"Ayane, was it?" Well, it seemed she wouldn't have to be the one to initiate conversation after all. In a very Ayane-like fashion, the purple-haired nineteen year old wheeled about, raising an eyebrow. "Yes."

"I… I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to use your room last night," It seemed it was rather hard for Lei Fang to say that, as her gaze remained glued to the floor, and she mumbled this. "But I'd like to know… is Hitomi alright? Have you seen her today?"

She wanted to cackle. Evilly at that. This girl had provided her with the perfect window of opportunity! Geez almightly, someone up there loved her… oh yes. Someone wanted Kasumi to pay, and Hitomi to… stop waking her up in the middle of the night. Or something along those lines.

"Yeah, I saw her, though I wouldn't say she looked to good," The girl dead-panned, shrugging. "She's wasted at the bar – had a few too many beers, I believe. It didn't help that Kasumi took advantage of her last night. What a terrible thing… always knew she was lousy. Oh well." She shrugged yet again, turning around abruptly, so that Lei Fang couldn't see her smirk, and she would be able to contain her snigger.

"She… she…" The Chinese woman looked surprised, though that expression faded away after a moment, leaving way for what was quickly becoming the most popular emotion among the women – anger. In fact, she was positively livid, thanking Ayane abruptly and leaving the room, cursing in her mother tongue.

At long last, she could let out that evil snigger, allow herself that evil smirk. Oh, she was good… the amber-eyed woman strolled out of the room, bathing suit over one arm. She seemed happy, for once. Hell, she even whistled as she walked, heading for the pool. There would be somewhere she could change without Kasumi flying into the room to escape the angered Lei Fang… and that's where Ayane was headed. Far away from the fight.

Indeed there was to be a fight, as Lei Fang burst into the room, her face red with anger, tears in her eyes, for some reason or another. "You _bitch_!" That phrase made the red-haired woman on the bed sit upright, tears streaking down her own face, before she turned away, standing up. "I don't feel like this right now, Lei Fang," Her voice barely above a whisper, she moved around on her feet, attempting to leave the room, only to be tackled to the bed by the angry Chinese woman, who was screaming bloody murder.

And thus the fighting started – a bitch slap to the amber-eyed one's face, a knee in the gut received by Lei Fang, bites, scratches, punches, kicks – they did it all, swapping blows – Lei Fang so she could take out her anger, and Kasumi so she could get away. One driven by anger, the other fear, they rolled off the bed, landing with a harsh thud on the floor.

* * *

On the level beneath them, four women looked upwards. Christie cocked an eyebrow, sniffing. "And she told us we fought to much." The Brit scoffed, folding her arms neatly across her chest.  
Tina, Helena and Lisa seemed a tad more worried. They exchanged glances, before deciding to figure out exactly what was going on. "Me an' Lisa'll head upstairs – Christie, y'all should find Ayane… and Helena, see if you can find whichever one of 'em ain't in the fight."

"How do I know who that is?" The more intelligent of the two blondes blinked, cerulean eyes meeting clear blue for an instant.

"Whoever you find ain't the one at it."

"How do you know Ayane isn't a part of the fight?" Leave it to Christie to challenge Tina's judgement, though she had stood, unwittingly making her bust stick out further, causing the Texan to gulp, licking her lips. "Just a wild guess. She don't seem like the fist-fightin' type… plus, it didn't sound like 'er." It was true – the purple-haired woman had a distinct voice. Come to think of it, each of them did, actually.

Lisa and Tina left the area, leaving the two European women in the same room together for a few moments, praying they'd soon separate to do their bit as well. The dark-skinned American winced as she heard more shouts, as well as a dull clunk. It basically sounded like a pair of fighting children who'd taken it way too far.

"You think anyone's seriously hurt?" She asked, concerned for the well-being of the women she barely knew in this household. Tina shrugged, biting her lip as they reached the top, opening each door to check the rooms. "I hope not."

And voila – they came upon the fight at long last – actually, by opening the door, they themselves became victims, as a red-haired woman was thrown into them, causing all three of them to groan. Another woman followed, pouncing on top of Kasumi yet again, letting out an animalistic shriek as the frightened woman grabbed a fistful of hair, tugging on it.

* * *

Down below, Christie and Helena stood, facing one another for a moment, before Christie broke their gaze. "I should go find Ayane." She murmured, nodding and leaving the area, causing the long-haired French woman to sigh. How she wished they could have a civil conversation with one another – alone… maybe afterwards. Or that night… who knew? She could only do so much…

And so she set off to find who might be missing. It seemed Christie had gone in the direction of the pool, so Helena headed for the kitchen and bar – perhaps the other merely wanted a snack? Yes, that made sense…

* * *

"Stop!" Lisa's voice cut through the fighting, which, for some reason or another, Tina had been sucked into, though she was mainly providing a barrier between Lei Fang and Kasumi, panting. "Alright, we're all civilised women… let's talk this over…"  
"She didn't bother to talk it over with Hitomi!" The Chinese woman accused, pointing a finger in Kasumi's direction as blood spurted from several places on her arms and neck, even a few on her face. Her lip particularly, as it was busted open. Kasumi's eyes widened, as she tilted her head back, pinching a bleeding nose that had been hit, yet not broken during the fight. Somehow, it had indeed survived.

"Donovan! Call a freakin' meetin', or somethin'!" The Texan hollered, looking about for their unseen tormentor. Oh, he'd better do what she said, too, or Tina would…

* * *

"Mon Dieu!" A groan had been the only reason Helena had even stumbled upon the young German girl – after all, she'd been searching the kitchen area, not the bar. But, those two areas being so close, and everything having suddenly gone deadly quiet made the blonde capable of finding the youngest member of the captured group.

Placing a hand upon Hitomi's shoulder, she gently shook the girl, brow creasing as she frowned. That was never good… of course, she did not know the girl did this regularly, in the mansion or not. And, not knowing that, the French woman had a perfectly normal reaction – she felt extremely worried. The bartender was no where to be seen, but you had to expect he was a sleaze…

Who'd allow a child to drink so much? She glanced at all the bottles and glasses, disgusted. Carefully, she managed to work the German girl's limp body about so that they were facing one another, and even pick her up, much like a mother might carry their baby. Of course, Hitomi was a very cumbersome baby, but Helena didn't seem to mind, treading cautiously back in the direction of what she liked to refer to as the 'lounge,' the area with the large television and couches. Once there, she would be able to put Hitomi down… but not until.

* * *

He placed his hands together, watching the screens in amusement, clicking a button and pulling an object over to himself, speaking in his usual tone as workers observed from behind him, taking notes. "Alright, Tina. You'll get your wish… all girls to the viewing room. We'll see if we can't straighten this mess out once we're all together."

The button was pressed again and the girls could no longer hear him – but Donovan was still watching. Once again, Alyssa was in the crowd, the fiery redhead who'd dare stand up to Donovan the last time. A woman with long, silky black hair stood by her side, looking all too smug, too… evil. Every now and again, her hands would travel back to Alyssa's body, when the girls weren't doing anything too interesting in the mansion that they had to watch…

"This promises to be interesting." Donovan stated, smirking, back still to his workers. "Take notes on this – it's important to our experiment." Indeed it was…

* * *

YuRi Shipper: Wow, I just realized how many damned sub-plots I have going on. Wowza. At any rate, read and review…

Man, my hands hurt. Switching scenes so often… makes them hurt. xDD

R&R, YuRi Shipper out.


	12. Chapter Eleven

YuRi Shipper: Severe writer's block has kept me off fanfiction for quite some time… and, it's rather sad… but a lot of others stopped writing when I did, it seems. So, I've started again. Rejoice. And, erm… -cough-I'moffforthesummer,soIwon'tbeabletowritetheneither-cough-

Well, now, on with the fic before I bore myself.

Disclaimer: No, during all this time, YuRi Shipper did not win a lawsuit and get the DoA characters to be hers. Damn it.

I'd Just Like to Say : Fuck You All

Well, to be blunt, this was not going as planned. Seven pairs of eyes remained wide open, staring about the room, at each other, or just blankly ahead, while Donovan spoke. "You see, ladies, due to the nature of the experiment, I cannot interfere."

"Why the Hell not? You interfered by locking us in a house, did you not?" Christie snapped, earning one of those dark chuckles for herself.

"That I did, Christie… but be patient. These things take time… and besides, the house is part of your experiment. I doubt you'd be in the same country as Helena, if you could help it. And Ayane – were you not content avoiding your half-sister? Hitomi was on the run as well, though taunting her won't do any good while she's unconscious… what of you, Lei Fang? Tina, Lisa… you two are needed to pull everybody back together," he sighed, and one could almost see a hand rubbing pale temples… if they had any imagination at all, that is. "Listen. Just calm down, try to get along, and do your own thing… that's all I ask. No, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a meeting. Good day, girls."

And then the speakers just clicked off, leaving a few puzzled women to mull a rather nasty situation. How to escape, how to escape…

"Helena? I can take care of her now, if you want…" Kasumi piped up, pointing to the German who had been laid out on the couch – and looked a little too peaceful in her sleep.

"Oh no you don't," a certain Chinese woman stood, marching over to the redhead indignantly, "We don't need a repeat of the last time you tried to 'help' her. I think I can take over for you this time…"

"Neither one of you is fit to do it, really," Ayane drawled, rolling her eyes. "Just let the damned girl take care of herself. Honestly, if she wants to go and get drunk, she can deal with the consequences on her own."

"I will take care of her…" Helena murmured, stepping in before a fight broke out amongst the three oriental women. "The rest of you should… go calm down somewhere. Take a swim, go to the gym… anything, really. Just calm down… if we ever want to get out of this place, we will need to have cool heads about us."

Her logic was met with sheepish murmurs, the three parting ways and exiting the room, along with Tina and Lisa – who, for once, had merely been observers. It was slightly odd that Christie chose not to exit the immediate area, but rather turn her head to her left and stare. Almost as if she was purposely trying to avoid looking at the blonde before her…

The French woman gave a quiet sigh, shaking her head. The albino woman would always be a mystery to her, wouldn't she? She'd never be close enough to her to learn anything more than the colour of her eyes…

Cerulean gaze shifted to the unconscious young drunk, slender fingers running themselves through silky locks of sun-bleached light brown, ruffling her bangs and then stopping just above the headband. For a moment, her curiosity got the better of her, taking the young woman's mind off to a distant place. What did the headband symbolize? Why constantly wear it? Who -

A cough brought her back from her curious place, though it had not been Hitomi to utter the sound. A tiny smirk graced those red lips of hers as her eyebrows shot up, looking to Christie who stared back, apparently deciding whether or not she should say anything. Violet met cerulean as both sets of oddly coloured eyes met, locking for an instant, before the rarer of the two shades glanced at the floor, breaking the odd sort of contact.

"Oui, Christie?" Helena dared to ask, inwardly slapping herself for opening her trap. Asking things of the woman with the pale skin and snow-coloured hair never ended well…

"Nothing. Just looked like you might fall asleep… I thought I'd keep you awake," she shrugged nonchalantly, earning herself a glare. Her turn to smirk. But there was a difference between Christie's smirk and Helena's – the Brit donned such a feature out of sheer arrogance, and the French maiden out of amusement.

A moan caused both to stop their miniature war, Helena glancing down once more at the German, noting her now less-than-unconscious state. To be entirely truthful, she looked to be… semi-conscious? Yes, that seemed about right.

"Christie, see if you can find a bucket. Ask the chef… I am afraid we are nowhere near a washroom." In their moments staring at one another, she'd forgotten to ask for assistance in moving the brunette to a room closer to a toilet – because it was more than obvious there would be puking.

"Way ahead of you," the Brit stated, tapping the bucket that had seemingly appeared at the side of her chair. "They brought it over during Donovan's little speech," she explained, shrugging and sauntering over to the blonde, kneeling beside her. The bucket was red, round… nothing special. Just a bucket…

That was currently being filled with the contents of an eighteen year old's stomach. A horrid retching sound filled the air, as both of the other women blanched visibly, Christie turning her head just slightly and Helena rubbing the vomiting girl's back, praying this would be quick.

After the first bout, there was another, followed by one more, and some spit-up. And then… calm. Silence. Sure, the air was not filled with a pleasant smell, but at least some still fellow in a tuxedo had popped out from the shadows and was carrying that red bucket off to dump its contents and be cleaned. One could only pray he didn't trip and spill the vile substance everywhere.

The pair of older women looked at one another, then back down to the brunette, who moaned, rubbing at her head.

"Shisa," she murmured, earning a slightly shocked look from Helena. Oh, she didn't speak a word of German – but she knew that had to be a curse.

"Don't move too much – it's only going to make it throb like a mother-fucker," Christie explained, which earned herself a glare. Honestly, was the cursing necessary?

"Watch your tongue around young ones…" Helena's low mumble caused the albino to stare in shock, pointing an accusatory finger at Hitomi, jaw dropping as she prepared to say something else. "I don't want to hear it. Let's just concentrate on making her feel better, Christie."

Well, this could be interesting…

* * *

Could've been, but I cut it out there. The authoress is allowed to be evil at times. Not like this chapter is going to be huge anyway… pfft. More like teeny. 

Now, to the gym, where our favourite (and only) matchmakers could be found at that point in time, punching the living tar out of a bag. Just for a little fun.

"So," Tina grunted, sweat causing blonde locks to stick to her forehead in a very unladylike fashion, "what do y'all think o' the current situation?"

Her dark companion shrugged, tossing her fist weakly into the bag. "Dunno. Doesn't look like anybody's gotten much happier about this… and I can't say I blame them. But we've got feuds popping up all over the place. It doesn't look too good."

"I hear ya." Blue eyes narrowed as the bag was split in half at long last, a final kick causing it to do so, spilling sand everywhere. A sheepish Texan backed off, grinning like an ape and shrugging innocently as her partner fixed her with a glare.

"Well, we can't have everyone fighting each other… if we're playing matchmaker, we'd better hurry up and do it damn fast," the tan woman explained, gaining a nod from her partner.

The blonde seated herself on the floor, running slender fingers through her sweaty locks and patting the ground beside her, indicating that Lisa should also take a seat. "C'mon. We can 'discuss' down 'ere. Much more comfortable than just standin'."

She was joined on the floor by the short-haired brunette, who gave a gentle smile, tilting her head just slightly. "Well then, let's get to it."

* * *

Night fell, and each girl went to their respective room – and, oddly enough, all seemed calm… eerily so. Quiet, still… 

Until a glass could be heard shattering, along with a shout of what could only be pain or surprise. But who was it this time?

* * *

YuRi Shipper: Must leave. So I had to cut it off right there. I was planning on making this far longer, and showing off a little… but meh. Xx;;; R&R – maybe I can get another chapter or two up before I leave in July. 


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